Track cleaning car



sept.17,1963 j "JLBQNANNQ Em. 3,103,897

TRACKCLEANINQ CAR 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Nav. 5, 1957 INVENTORS l/o SEP# BOA/@NNO FETT/7' sept'. 17, 1963 J. L. BONANNO TAL 3,103,897

TRACK CLEANING CAR I WLM/4 im, Zum

ATTORNEYS United States Patent O 3,103,897 TRACK CLEANING CAR Joseph L. Bonanno, South Orange, and Frank Pettit, Union, NJ., assigner-s, by mesne assignments, to Walter E. Heller 8l Company (Ine), New York, N.Y., a corporation of Delaware Filed Nov. 5, 1957, Ser. No. 694,665 -12 Claims. (Cl. 104-279) This invention relates in general to model railways and particularly to a new and useful service-type railroad car for such railways incorporating novel means for cleaning and oiling the tracks.

In accordance with one aspect of the invention a railroad car is provided which has a novel means for continuously supplying small quantities of cleaning or lubricating material to an absorbent element which is maintained in rotating contact with the railway tracks in order to clean or lubricate the tracks.

ln accordance with another aspect of the invention there is provided in conjunction with the washing o-r oilin-g means, a renewable cleaning element which may be an absorbent material, or a roughened surface material to either scrape clean or wipe clean the tracks. Depending on which way the car lis advanced the oiling or washing element may be used effectively to both wash and wipe dry the track surfaces or yto oil the surfaces and to remove the excess therefrom.

A railroad car constructed in accordance with the invention incorporates means for continuously rotating the washing or oiling member as it is fed with a supply of a washing liquid or an oiling liquid. In addition, Such a train incorporates a wiping or abrading element arranged so that it may be biased against the tracks during use or biased in a position oi the tracks when not in use. The car of the invention is also constructed with a novel self-aligning coupling, facilitating the easy connection of this car to other units of the model railway.

Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to provide a model railway car having a mechanism for continuously applying either cleaning or lubricating liquid to the railway tracks.

A furthe-r object of this invention is :to provide a model railway car having an improved combination rotating liquid or oil applying member and a track abrading or track wiping element which act in combination to thoroughly clean or oil the railway tracks.

A further object of this invention is to provide an improved self-aligning coupling for a railway car.

A further object of the invention is to provide a railway car of the character described which is simple in design, hugged in construction and economical to manufacture.

The various fea-tures of novelty which characterize the invention are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this specification. For a better understanding of the invention, its operating advantages and specic objects attained by its use, reference should be had to the accompanying drawings and descriptive matter in which .there is illustrated and described a preferred embodiment of the invention.

In the drawings:

FIG. l is a side elevational view of a track cleaning car made in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a bottom plan view of the car shown in FIG. l;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary vertical sectional View taken along the line 3-3 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary vertical section taken along the line 4-4 of FIG. 2;

3,103,897 Patented Sept. 17, 1963 FIG. 5 is a fragmentary vertical section taken along the line 5 5 of FIG. l;

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary horizontal section taken along the line 6-6 of FIG. l;

FIG. 7 is a horizontal section taken along the line 7--7 of FIG. 3;

FIG. 8 is an exploded perspective view of a portion of a washing or oiling element assembly; and

FIG. 9 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of an oiling fluid or a washing uid supply tank for use with a railway car constructed for use with the invention.

Referring to the drawings in particular, the invention as embodied therein includes a service-type railway car generally designated 10 having an underframe 12 upon which a body 14 is supported. The body 14 has a conguration simulating that of an authentic track cleaning car.

The underside of the frame =12 is providedy with suitable bearing means at each end to rotatably support a forward set of wheels 16 at one end and a rear set 1'8 at the opposite end. In this instance, the car 10 is made Without a self-propelling motor and it is normally pushed along the track in front of a locomotive or engine car. In some instances, however, it may be desirable to provide a self-contained driving means for the wheels of the car.

The body 14 is opened at the top forward portion and is provided with curved supporting recesses 20 and 22, shaped to hold therein a pair of cylindrical liquid containers 24 and 26 respectively (FIG. 5). The liquid containers 2liand 26 V(FIG. 9) hold a reserve supply of either a washing or cleaning liquid such as wat-er, liquid soap, solvent cleaner, etc., or they may contain a lubricating oil. Each container is provided with a discharge nipple L28 having a suitable opening through which the liquid may be poured. The discharge nipple 28 is covered and protected by a screw cap 30.

The after portion of the body 14 is built up to define an inner motor chamber 32 having a horizontal platform 34 on which is mounted an electrical motor 36. The car 10 is usually operated by placing the sets of wheels 16 and 18 in position on a set of parallel guiding outer tracks 38. The tracks are constructed with an inner third rail or power supplying track 40'. Energy is supplied Ito the motor 36 through a roller contact 42 ar range at the end of an arm 44, pivotally mounted on the underside of the frame 12 and biased by a spring 46 in a direction urging the roller 42 into contact with the third rail 4d. The pivot arm 44 is connected electrically through a switch 48 to the motor 36. The switch `41 has a long handle which extends through an opening in the frame 14 to permit the making and breaking of electrical contact by moving the end of the handle.

In accordance with the invention the central portion of the underframe 12 has a cylindrical bearing portion 50 dening a bearing mount for a track cleaning or oil dispensing assembly generally designated 52. The cleaning or dispensing member assembly 52l includes a drivingv sleeve generally designated 54. The sleeve 54 includes a large diameter upper portion 56 and a small diameter lower portion 58, the latter being rotatably mounted in the sleeve portion 50 of the underframe 12,. The lower outer annular surface `of the portion 56 bears against the upper surface of the underframe 12 during rotation of the assembly 52.

The driving sleeve 54 is provided with a gear 60 which extends outwardly from the lower end of the large diameter sleeve portion 56 and is rotated through two sets of reduction gears 62 and 64 by the electric motor 36 driving through a small gear 66 mounted on the motor driving shaft 68.

The cleaning or dispensing member assembly 52 also includes a liquid applying element 70, preferably of a resilient, absorbent material such as a foam, plastic or rubber-sponge, which is atxed to a metal disc 72 as by adhesively sealing thereto. The metal disc 72 is provided with a central cylindrical opening 74 and a set of diametrically opposed rectangular openings 76, positioned to receive an intermediate driving and `oil distributing member generally designated 78.

The driving and oil distributing member 78 includes an upstanding cylindrical post 80 terminating in a spherical head 82. The cylindrical post is cut away at the lower end` to define a passage 84 to facilitate liquid flow therethrough. The post 30 is provided with laterally extending spline projections 86 which fit into spline-like grooves in the lower small diameter portion 58 to lock the parts for rotation together. Then post 80 with the spline projections 86 is mounted in the center of a at disc 88. A pair of resilient latch elements 90 are arranged at diametrically opposite sides of the disc 88, and normally fit into the rectangular openings 76 on the disc 72 to lock the parts together. A set of spacers 90 are provided on the disc 88 to hold the disc 88 a distance below disc 72.

The intermediate driving and oil distributing member 78 is connected to the liquid applying element 70 by inserting the post 80 through the opening 74 and the latched members 90 through the openings 76 (see FIG. 8). These two groups of elements are then positioned in the driving sleeve 54 by aligning the spline projections 86 with the grooves in the small diameter sleeve portion 58. A resilient frusto-conical open-topped holding shoulder 92 is affixed to the inside of the large diameter sleeve 56. The spherical head 82 of the post 80 may be pressed through the top of the shoulder 92 and is retained thereabove during rotation `of the assembly S2. The intermediate driving member may be removed by pulling the spherical head 82 through the opening in the shoulder 92.

The body 14 is provided with a cylindrical liquid filling chamber 94 arranged in vertical alignment with the track cleaning and oil dispensing member assembly 52. The cylindrical slot 94 is provided with an opening 95 at the bottom end made large enough to permit the dripping of liquid therethrough into the driving sleeve assembly 54. The liquid thus received ilows in the direction of the arrows (FIGS. 3 and 7) downwardly around the post 80 and in on top of the disc 88, where it is distributed by centrifugal and gravitational action to the absorber element 70.

In accordance with the invention the car is provided with an additional track cleaning or wiping mechanism to supplement the action of the rotating liquid absorbent element 70. To this end, a mounting bracket 96 is affixed to the underside of the frame 12 at the rear end thereof. The mounting bracket 96 is provided with suitable L- shaped bearing surfaces 98 on which is pivotally mounted an auxiliary cleaning carriage generally designated 100. The auxiliary cleaning carriage 100 is provided with a pair of spaced side frame members 102 having stub shafts 103 which project inwardly therefrom and are pivoted on the L-shaped bearing surfaces 98. One end of the side frame members 102 is provided with a pair of inwardly extending lateral stops 104 which are effective to contact the mounting bracket 96 and limit the upward movement of this end of the frame members and the downward movement of the opposite end.

The frame members 102 support an inverted U-shaped mounting member 106 which extends outwardly to the rear of the car. Mounting member 106 is provided with a cylindrical slot 10S in which is loosely positioned a universal supporting bolt 110. The bolt is of a diameter small enough to permit free movement in the slot 108, but is provided with a head large enough to prevent it from falling therethrough.

A substantially dipper-shaped open-ended Wiper and wheel piece generally designated 112 is provided with a.

cylindrical slot in the top of an open-ended inverted U- shaped portion 114 through which the bolt 110 is loosely fitted. The bolt 110 is provided with a lower flange 116 which prevents disengagement of the member 112 therefrom. The complete carrier and wiper member 112 pivots freely about the bolt 110 in a manner similar to a universal joint. The U-shaped portion 114 s packed with an absorbent material 118 such as cotton, cloth, tape or the like which projects downwardly beyond the side edges thereof. In some instances, it may be desirable to place a sheet of an abrasive material such as sandpaper over the abosrbent material 118 in order to clean the" track of gritty substances, if desired.

The rear end of the member 112 is provided with suitable bearings to rotatably mount a pair of guiding wheels 120. A tension spring 122 is aiiixed to a depending portion of the bracket 96 at its one end, and to the lower forward edge of the mounting member 106. The frame members 102 may be rotated about their L-shaped bearing surfaces or L-shaped pivot surfaces `98 to permit the movement of the aft auxiliary cleaning carriage 100 to the position indicated in FIG. 4, in which instance the spring 122 will act to bias it in this position. When the aft auxiliary cleaning carriage 100 is brought downwardly into an operative position, with the wheels in engagement with the tracks (FIG. l), the spring will again act to bias the carriage in a direction toward the tracks. Thus, it is seen that the pivot at the L-shaped bearing surfaces 98 and the spring location is such that the spring will urge the carriage 100 into the position indicated in FIG. 4 when it is initially moved manually slightly above the horizontal and it will urge it into a track engaging position similar to FIG. 1 when it is initially moved manually slightly below the horizontal.

ln accordance with another aspect of the invention, the forward end of the lower frame 12 is notched at each side of the center line to provide holding recesses 124 and 126 to confine each end of a leaf spring 128. The leaf spring 128 is made in one piece of resilient metal which is coiled around a central vertical pivotal bolt 130 held in the frame 12. Also pivotally mounted on the same bolt 130 is a self-aligning coupling 132. The coupling is substantially rectangular and is provided with a forward recessed mating end 134 suitably contoured to mate and hold with a male coupling. It is provided with cylindrically shaped rear corners 136 and 138 arranged in contact with spring 128. The coupling 132 is self-aligning, and any tendency to misalign it, as `by moving it from the left or to the right, will be overcome by the force of the spring 128.

T o operate the car 10 in accordance with the invention, a quantity of cleaning or oiling liquid is poured from one of either of the cylinders 24 or 26 into the reservoir slot 94. The liquid flows by gravity through the opening 9S into the driving sleeve 54, from whence it passes around the post 80 to the surface of the disc 88, from whence it is distributed to the absorbent element 70. The train is positioned on the tracks and is pushed or pulled by a locomotive or similar power driven car attached to the coupling 132. The switch 48 is closed and current is effective to operate the motor 36 to continuously rotate the complete track cleaning or oil dispensing member assembly 52.

It is preferable to apply cleaning fluid or oil to the tracks when the aft auxiliary cleaning carriage is in a position out of operational engagement with the tracks (FIG. 4). After the oil or cleaning tiuid has been applied, the motor 36 may be switched off and the disc 88 with the absorbent element 70, and the intermediate driving and liquid distributing member 78 may be removed from the sleeve driving element 54. The absorbent member 70 may be removed from the remainder of the parts and replaced or cleaned. lf desired, the auxiliary cleaning unit 100 may be placed in an operative position (FIG. l) to clean the tracks with the absorbent element 70 removed and the motor 36 disconnected, or both the cleaning unit 100 and the absorbent element 70 may be operated simultaneously. i

While a specific embodiment of the invention has `been shown and described in detail to illustrate the application of the invention principles, it may be understood that the invention may be embodied otherwise without departing from such princip-les.

What is claimed is:

1. A toy railway car, for cleaning, lubricating or wetting tracks including a railway car frame, car wheels rotatably mounted on said frame and arranged to operatively engage a track structure to permit movement of the car thereover, a liquid applying member rotatably mounted on said frame and extending downwardly therefrom into contact with the tracks, means on said frame to rotate said liquid applying member, and liquid reservoir means mounted on said frame and connecting said member Iwhereby to supply liquid thereto.

2. In combination with a toy railway car having a body mounted above wheels which move over a track, the improvement comprising a liquid applying member yrotatably mounted on said body and extending therebelow into contact with the tracks, and means on said body to rotate said liquid applying member.

3. In combination with a toy railway car having a body mounted above wheels which move over a track, the improvement comprising a liquid applying member rotatably mounted on said body and extending Itherebelow into Contact with the tracks, electric motor driving means on said body arranged to rotate said liquid applying member, electric pickup means mounted on and depending from said body and biased against said track and connected Ito said electric motor means to supply electric current thereto, and means to energize said track.

4. In combination with a toy railway car having a body mounted above wheels which move over a track, the improvement comprising a liquid reservoir on said body, a substantially vertical shaft mounted on said body below said reservoir, a cleaning element mounted on the lower portion of said shaft and extending below said body into contact with said track, means to direct said liquid to said element, and means on said body to rotate said element.

5. In combination with a toy railway car having a body mounted above wheels which move over a track, the improvement comprising a liquid reservoir on said body, a substantially rotatable sleeve mounted on said body, an absorbent cleaning element detachably mounted i on the lower portion of said sleeve and extending below said body into contact with said track, passage means to conduct said liquid to said cleaning element, and means on said body to rotate said vertical sleeve.

6. The combination according to claim 5 wherein said cleaning element includes an absorbent material secured to a rigid member, said rigid member being detachably connectable to said sleeve for rotation therewith.

7. The combination according to claim 6 wherein said detachable cleaning element includes a flat mounting disc, a sponge-like material secured to said disc, said disc and said sponge-like material having an aperture therein and a clamping member having an upstanding portion which lits into said aperture and is connectable to said sleeve for rotation therewith whereby said sponge-like material is also held for rotation with said sleeve.

8. A toy railway car for cleaning, lubricating or wet` ting two and three-rail track structures, comprising a frame, wheels rotatably mounted on said frame and arranged to operatively engage a track structure to permit movement of the car thereover, a liquid applying member larger than the width of the track structure rotatably mounted on said frame and extending downwardly to Contact and apply liquid onto each of the rails of the track structure as it is rotated, means on said frame to rotate said liquid applying member, and liquid reservoir means mounted on said frame and connecting said member whereby to supply liquid thereto.

9. A toy car according to claim 8, including a bearing bracket on said frame, a carriage pivotally mounted on said frame and having a cleaning element larger than the width of the track structure and having a portion bearing against said bearing bracket and a portion extending outwardly beyond said pivot, a resilient means connecting said carriage and said frame arranged to bias said cleaning element against said bearing bracket, the outer portion of said carriage being movable to bring said spring above said pivot and to bias said portion upwardly above said track structure and being movable to bring said spring below said pivot to bias said carriage against said `track structure.A

10. In combination with a toy railway car frame having a body mounted above wheels which move over a track, the improvement comprising a carriage pivotally mounted on said frame and having a cleaning element at one end thereof extending beyond the end of said body and overhanging said track, wheels mounted on said carriage, said wheels operatively engaging the track when the carriage is in an operative position, resilient means connecting said carriage and said body arranged to bias said element against said tracks when the element is manually moved below the horizontal, and to bias said element upwardly substantially above said track when the element is manually moved above the horizontal.

y11. In combination with a toy railway car frame having a body mounted above wheels which move over a track, the improvement comprising a carriage pivotally mounted on said frame and having a cleaning element pivotally mounted at one end thereof extending beyond the end of said body and overhanging said track, resilient means connecting said carriage and said body arranged to bias said element against said tracks when the element is manually moved below the horizontal, and to bias :said element upwardly substantially above said track when the element is manually moved above the horizontal.

12. The combination according to claim 11, wherein said element is provided with a rearwardly extending portion having wheels rotatably mounted thereon.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 471,814 Dowd et al Mar. 29, 1892 1,128,910 Simmons Feb. 16, 1915 2,042,029 Smith May 26, 1936 2,288,792 Daniels July 7, 1942 2,289,117 Harrison .Tuly 7, 1942 2,475,771 Wittner July 12, 1949 2,574,630 Edwards et al Nov. 13, 1951 2,774,089 Brown Dec. 18, 1956' 

1. A TOY RAILWAY CAR, FOR CLEANING, LUBRICATING OR WETTING TRACKS INCLUDING A RAILWAY CAR FRAME, CAR WHEELS ROTATABLY MOUNTED ON SAID FRAME AND ARRANGED TO OPERATIVELY ENGAGE A TRACK STRUCTURE TO PERMIT MOVEMENT OF THE CAR THEREOVER, A LIQUID APPLYING MEMBER ROTATABLY MOUNTED ON SAID FRAME AND EXTENDING DOWNWARDLY THEREFROM INTO CONTACT WITH THE TRACKS, MEANS ON SAID FRAME TO ROTATE SAID LIQUID APPLYING MEMBER, AND LIQUID RESERVOIR MEANS MOUNTED ON SAID FRAME AND CONNECTING SAID MEMBER WHEREBY TO SUPPLY LIQUID THERETO. 